Scientists fight back in 'mutant flu' research row

Dec 21, 2011 by Richard Ingham and Annie Hautefeuille

Leading virologists on Wednesday warned of censorship after a US bioterror watchdog asked scientific journals to withhold details of lab work that created a mutant strain of killer flu.

The controversy erupted on Tuesday when the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) urged the world's two top journals to exclude key details before publishing the research papers.

In what is believed to be the first time it has made the recommendation, the government monitor cited an "extremely serious global health threat."

As the US-published Science and its counterpart in London, Nature, mulled the request, some experts said the NSABB request was an over-reaction.

Others said it could set a worrying precedent for the free flow of information -- a vital component in scientific advance.

"It's going to sully scientific communication if, for spurious concern about biological warfare, little groups of self-appointed people start censoring," said John Oxford, a professor at London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry.

"I know they call it 'redacted' or some such, but it's pure censorship," he said in an interview with AFP.

"It's censorship of a high level, and if that starts coming into the scientific arena, we will not know where we are."

In a blog, Vincent Racaniello, a professor of microbiology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said, "this is a bad day for virology, and for science in general.

"The decision by the NSABB sets a precedent for censoring future experimental results whose wide dissemination would benefit, not harm, humanity."

Sparking the storm were a paper submitted to Science by a team led by Ron Fouchier at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, and another sent to Nature by virologists led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin and the University of Tokyo, which reportedly showed the same result.

Both teams of scientists created a man-made form of the H5N1 influenza virus in the goal of figuring out what makes the avian pathogen tick.

Circulating among poultry, H5N1 leapt to humans in 1997, killing more than one in every two people that it infected.

Even though the virus was extremely lethal, it was not very contagious. It holed up in the bottom of the lungs rather than the upper airways, where viruses are spread by sneezing and coughing.

As a result, there have been only 573 documented cases of H5N1, although 336 have been fatal, according to the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO).

The U.S. government paid scientists to figure out how the deadly bird flu virus might mutate to become a bigger threat to people - and two labs succeeded in creating new strains that are easier to spread.

Genetic interactions between avian H5N1 influenza and human seasonal influenza viruses have the potential to create hybrid strains combining the virulence of bird flu with the pandemic ability of H1N1, according to a new ...

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User comments : 7

"The biggest terrorist on this planet is Mother Nature. That's what we have to worry about, not someone sitting in a cave in Afghanistan," he said.

How about in a state sponsored research facility that has the ability to create not only a mutant flu but also an innoculation? Sounds like an excellent weapon of war to me for reducing or eliminating the competion.

While humanity in general may be too civilized to use such weapons doesn't mean that some people or small groups hold themselves to the same standard. One of the biggest problems is that once this information and the techniques go public you cannot undo the damage.

Of course the filthy scientist aren't worried! They have plenty of money and BIO HAZARD SUITS so they'll be safe when this plague leaks. These vile scientists would love to kill off half of the planet for the all mighty dollar. I bet by next spring we will have the first wave of infected people. Like I said, id rather put a bullet in my head than to suffer filthy man made virus and suffer the consequences when i come before god. I do believe these are truly the last days for us on this planet. Just look at the unusual events over the past 2 years, especially this year, AND NOW THIS! PLEASE someone stop this low down SCUMS

The US of A is rapidly turning into a police state. I see that from other perspectives also. 1984 is delaid somewhat, but beginning to take shape in the country which exports "By The Sword" it's particular form of democracy. But it's not a democracy itself anymore. Not by a long shot. It is a police state, not a democracy. All is transformed in the name of the so called "Fight Against Terrorism."

Of course the filthy scientist aren't worried! They have plenty of money and BIO HAZARD SUITS so they'll be safe when this plague leaks. These vile scientists would love to kill off half of the planet for the all mighty dollar. I bet by next spring we will have the first wave of infected people. Like I said, id rather put a bullet in my head than to suffer filthy man made virus and suffer the consequences when i come before god. I do believe these are truly the last days for us on this planet. Just look at the unusual events over the past 2 years, especially this year, AND NOW THIS! PLEASE someone stop this low down SCUMS

"The biggest terrorist on this planet is Mother Nature. That's what we have to worry about, not someone sitting in a cave in Afghanistan," he said.

How about in a state sponsored research facility that has the ability to create not only a mutant flu but also an innoculation? Sounds like an excellent weapon of war to me for reducing or eliminating the competion.

While humanity in general may be too civilized to use such weapons doesn't mean that some people or small groups hold themselves to the same standard. One of the biggest problems is that once this information and the techniques go public you cannot undo the damage.

You have no idea what it takes to engineer a virus. It's NOT a blueprint to manufacture some ultimate biological weapon.

@EndofTimes2012, Isn't this good for you? The end times implies the second coming and a final victory for your god. You should be rooting these guys on.

@everyone else: I tend to agree with the scientist backlash. This isn't easy to do, and sets a very horrible precedent for future censoring.

On the other hand, this was merely a request which is unenforceable, and any future requests would be the same way. So the journals are the ones who are in control of the slippery slope, not the NNSABB

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